Travel Photo Series#5-Sunset at Tamsui-Taiwan

Sunset at Tamsui

This photo was taken on 5 Dec 2013 during our family trip to Tamsui ( 淡水) at Taiwan. We were rushing to catch the sunset at the Lover's Bridge but had to make do with enjoying the sunset scene from the ferry. The sunset moment was breathtaking and I was glad to capture the photo and share it with everyone here.

Related Posts: Taiwan Travel Tips, Family Bonding Tour at Taiwan Famosa

Taiwan Travel Tips

Yeliu, Taiwan

Before I start, I must put a disclaimer that I am not an expert for traveling in Taiwan. Although I have been to there 3 times already, I still have much to learn about the country. This blog is to share with everyone on the various ways that I adopted to have a more worry-free trip and save money on my visits to Taiwan. Please feel free to share at the comments' column on any tips you may have for the benefits of those traveling there soon.

1. Planning
Planning is the essential part of my traveling. Planning does not mean planning for your itineraries only. Before you step into Taiwan, learn a bit on it's history, the people and their culture. It will help you co-relate on the food, architectures, museum displays etc you get to see in this splendid country. I strongly believe this will certainly make your trip more fulfilling.  All these information can be easily retrieved from the internet.

2. Transport  
I must say Taiwan's transport system is one of the best around. Do your homework on the transports' availability to the places you are visiting. If you are utilizing the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), trains and buses in Taipei, make sure you get the EasyCard from any convenience stores or the main train station. You will enjoy considerable discounts with the cards. Note that Kaohsiung has their own version of the EasyCard which cannot be used in Taipei and vice verse. For HSR (High Speed Rail) travel if you are visiting the different cities of Taiwan, make sure you book the tickets early through their website and get discounts as high as 40%! This is a significant amount if you are traveling in groups or a family.

3. Lodging
I always make in a point to stay near the Taipei Main Station. The reason is very simple. Taipei Main Station houses all the transports needed to travel to all parts of Taiwan. It saves me a lot of time by staying close. For my last trip, I have stayed in Orange Forte Hotel and Cosmos Hotel which are a stone's throw from the Taipei Main Station. I have not regretted my decisions. Book the hotels through trustworthy booking websites which many times offer good discounted rates. I use Booking.com for most of my hotel bookings.

4. Admission Discounts
I must certainly mention Ibon for admission discounts. Their machines can be found in almost all Taiwan's convenience stores. It offers discounted tickets to various theme parks, places of interests etc in Taiwan. I saved a significant sum on admission fees courtesy of it's service with visit to Taipei 101, Eda Theme Park and Leofoo Theme Park.

5. Taiwan Embassy
This may vary country to country. I actually managed to get free vouchers for souvenirs and subsidized tickets to theme parks after producing flight tickets to my local Taiwan Embassy. You may want to check this up at your own country. 

Hope the above tips can help you plan a better trip to Taiwan. Do share your personal tips at the comments' column.

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Family Bonding Tour at Taiwan Formosa

Sun Moon Lake

Just back from a 10 days tour in Taiwan. We traveled in a group of five-My parents, wife, daughter and myself. Before the trip, I joked with my friends that I relished the challenge of planning the trip for the different age groups for the tour. My trip plan was mostly focused on the western bank of Taiwan with the exception of Jiufen which is located at the Northeastern end of the island. With the help of the various transport systems-the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport), HSR (High Speed Rail), trains, public bus services and taxis, we visited the various attractions at Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung and Kaoshiung.

Yeliu Harbour

Yeliu Geo Park

Jiufen

The highlights of the trip must be having family tea (Yumchai) at a tea inn at the top of Jiufen, taking a tour round the renowned Fo Guang Shan Monastery, witnessed a religious ceremony at Lotus Lake, taking an early morning stroll at Sun Moon Lake and enjoying the sunset at Tamsui. I will share those experiences in  my later blogs. The most important thing about this tour is of course the family bonding we got to enjoy. My parents (especially my dad!) surprised me with their sporting attitude to try anything I recommended (and not recommended!). They tried almost all the challenging rides at the Eda Theme Park after the disappointment of not allowing to try them at Leofoo Village Theme Park due to age restriction. I gave them a big thumb up for these!

CSK Memorial Hall and Taipei 101 Tower

Leofoo Village Theme Park

Tamsui

Family Photo at Yeliu Geo Park

I hastily went through my photo stocks and handpicked some Taiwan photos that I like to share with all of you first. Hope you will enjoy them. More of Taiwan ventures in my later blogs. Cheers!

For those interested, the following were my itineraries for my 10 days trip at Taiwan:

Day 1: Arrived at Taipei
Day 2: Yehliu
Day 3: Leofoo Village Theme Park-Shilin Night Market
Day 4: Jiufen-Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall-Tapei 101
Day 5: Kaohsiung-Liuhe Night Market
Day 6: Fo Guang Shan-Dragon Tiger Pagoda
Day 7: Eda Theme Park
Day 8: Taichung-Sun Moon Lake
Day 9: Taipei-Tamshui
Day 10: Departed to Singapore

Related Posts: Early Morning Walk at Sun Moon Lake , Taiwan Travel Tips

Dragon and Tiger Pagoda

Formosa Boulevard MRT

Eda Theme Park

Fo Guang Shan Monastery 

 

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